Get Me Through Today, And Tomorrow Will Be Okay
by The Disposable Villain
Summary: "This will be no reward. But none should have to earn a ren, so I will give you that." Kek has no ib, and therefore must earn one before his heart can be weighed. [Altershipping; Yami Marik x Marik x Ryou] [Trans Ryou] [MLM]


**Hey, guys. So for those who don't know me, my name's Elliot, and here's my Christmas one-shot for 2017! Honestly I only finished this at half two in the morning, so I'm a bit dead but I'm not going anywhere today so that's good. This was actually for sitabethel's Dirty Santa challenge, which I joined late, but she was nice enough to give me a prompt of first time seeing snow! A few notes - at the start, Yami Marik has no name, so if you just see someone being referred to as 'he', that's him. Another - I headcanon Ryou as Irish at times, and tbh I know ISL whereas I don't know BSL so that was just easier for me. Ryou is also a trans guy in this, and there is a smut scene but if you want to skip it, you can. There's just a bit of fluff at the end of it. Okay, I think that's everything. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Get Me Through Today, And Tomorrow Will Be Okay  
Altershipping (Yami Marik x Marik x Ryou)  
Christmas One-Shot**

 **CW:** Lack of emotional control, bleeding, scarring, sex. Let me know if I missed anything.

* * *

In the beginning, there was nothing but darkness, and rage. Such pure, uncontrollable rage; one no mortal could hope to contain within their body. Then again, he wasn't mortal.

There was cold too, but after so long in the shadows, his body was numb, and he couldn't quite remember what warmth felt like. Or what light looked like.

All he could remember was golden hair and lilac eyes, glaring at him as they battled for control.

LET ME OUT!

He wasn't sure if he made a sound. He wasn't sure that it would matter if he did. The world of shadows was so thick, his voice would have been swallowed before it could reach anyone's ears, even if he did speak. Including his own.

He couldn't remember the sound of his own voice.

He couldn't remember anything except the silence and bleak matter consuming him.

Maybe that was why the scream made him laugh when the floor beneath him suddenly disappeared, and he landed in a pit of sand. He rolled down to the bottom, coughing as grains filled his mouth.

The sun shone down on him as he stopped, and he stared up at it, still laughing. He reached a large, brown hand up as though to grab it.

It burned his eyes.

Someone else was screaming and cursing, and it only made him laugh more.

"Stop it!" The voice snarled

He pushed himself up, hands sinking in the sand beneath him and looked over. The thief sat there with the same glare as his own golden-haired _better half_ , shaggy white hair hanging around his chin, scar curving into a crescent moon with each word.

He looked up at the sky again. "I want to see the moon."

His voice cracked, but it didn't matter. He could hear his own voice.

The thief stood and brushed off his shenti. "You won't see it here." He looked up at the doors they had fallen beside. "Not if those bastards have a say in things."

He looked up too. He hadn't noticed them before – golden, ornate doors with walls reaching up into the sky. He stumbled to his feet, cape catching beneath his heels.

He discarded it as the doors slowly opened. The thief took a step back.

He just stared, feet digging into the sand. Gods, it was warm. He hadn't felt it in he didn't know how long. "What's going to happen?"

The thief shook his head and clenched his fists. His stocky shoulders heaved with a deep breath before he marched inside.

He followed close behind. The floor was marble, and the gods lined the walls. Atem stood by the doors on the other side of the room, watching silently.

The thief's eyes landed on him and flashed, but he made no move to attack. It was useless anyway. If he passed his weighing, they would have all of eternity to fight.

Ma'at stepped forward, scale in her hands, perfectly balanced with her feather on one side. Anubis followed in the form of a jackal, eyes fixed on the two.

"Akefia."

The thief's breath caught as Ma'at addressed him. "I just want to go home." His voice cracked.

Anubis darted forward and tore into his chest. Akefia's eyes widened and a silent scream escaped his mouth, but he did nothing to stop the god. Once the act was committed, Anubis changed form and plucked Akefia's heart from his chest, handing it to Ma'at.

She placed it on the scale, and watched both sides dip a few times before evening out. She smiled and looked at the thief. "And so you shall." She gently placed his heart back in his chest, and the skin and muscle repaired itself. Akefia gasped and clutched at his chest. "Go on."

His eyes flickered around the room, as though waiting for some kind of trap to spring, but as he strode towards the doors, nothing happened.

Atem placed a hand on his arm, and Akefia jerked away. The Pharaoh laughed, but they both fell silent and looked back. They would wait until the end of his weighing.

Ma'at observed him. "You have no _ren_."

He shook his head. "I was never given one and I never took one."

Anubis darted forward again and tore into his chest, but he felt no pain. The gods gasped as Anubis stepped back empty-handed. "He has no _ib_ either."

His eyes landed on Ma'at. "What does that mean?" His voice never wavered.

"It means we cannot judge you." She frowned. "You can neither pass on, nor remain in the Duat."

"His _ib_ wouldn't balance," Set commented, arms folded, "even if it did exist."

"We don't know that because he doesn't have one." Ma'at's gaze never strayed from him. "He must earn it."

Anubis turned on her. "Are you suggesting we release him?"

"I'm suggesting we give him a chance at life. He never had one before."

His eyes were beginning to water. Ma'at's stare burned them as much as the sun.

"He had a chance, and he used it for destruction. Now you want to reward him?"

"It would be no reward." Ma'at finally looked to Anubis.

The jackal headed god held her gaze. "He does not deserve this."

"All living things deserve a chance at life." She stepped towards him, and he didn't step back. "We will judge him once he returns, and if his heart doesn't weigh, we will show him no mercy." She considered him for a moment. "But we have seen many pleas for rebirth from guilty hearts, and granted so few. You don't even ask for one."

The heartless child shook his head. "I just don't want to go back."

"Let him suffer." Ammit glared at him.

"This will be no reward," Ma'at repeated. She cupped his face, but her hands were as cold as the darkness. "His eyes must be his ears, and his hands his mouth, as punishment for taking so many lives and their ability to speak, and cry, and love. He will have to earn his _ib,_ and _ba_ , just like any other human." She brushed hair out of his face. "But none should have to earn a _ren_ , so I will give you that. This will be hard-" She kissed his forehead. "-Kek."

She cupped his ears, and if he screamed, he couldn't hear it.

This was no reward.

Everything was quiet, and dark, and cold. He almost thought that they sent him back to the shadows.

But his breath caught and fogged in the air and when he looked at his hands, they were large and clear and his.

He pushed himself up, and something on the ground stung his foot. He fell back, his shoulder crashing into the wall behind him. But everything was still quiet.

He covered his ears and tried to scream. His throat burned, but nothing came out.

He pulled his knees up to his chest. In it, nothing beat, nothing beat, nothing beat. They were only teasing - giving him hope for a new life, and sending him back to the shadows for eternity. He curled in on himself, and tried to scream again.

* * *

The scream echoed through the alleyway, and Marik grabbed Ryou's arm. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure…" Ryou's eyes darkened a little and he pulled the other towards the opening between the buildings.

"Ry- Ryou, this is a bad idea." Marik pulled against him, but Ryou was stronger. The streets were empty and almost black, but his torch on his phone lit up their path. "This is how people like us get killed in Japan."

"This is also how people stop people like us getting killed." He was expecting a gang when he heard the second scream – at the very least, two people.

But only one sat against a building, curled up and shaking. His hair gave him away.

Marik's grip on Ryou's arm tightened. "We need to go."

"Marik, he's in pain." Ryou crept up to the man and knelt in front of him. He didn't look up. "Hello?"

Nothing.

"Ryou, let's _go_." Marik glared at the being, but fear danced in his eyes. Fear of what he was, and could still be.

Ryou placed his hand on the other's arm, and he finally jerked up.

He no longer looked identical to Marik. His jaw was stronger, his forehead broader, his hair darker, and his eyes more grey than purple. But the fear was there. The same fear that presently shone in Marik's eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ryou asked. The other just shook his head, eyes on Ryou's lips. It didn't seem to be a response to the question. "Can you hear me?" Another shake.

"What's wrong with him?" Marik swallowed.

Ryou hesitated before opening his phone and typing a quick message into his notes.

 **Who are you?**

He used his Arabic keyboard, just in case. The man read it with ease and then looked up at Ryou. The latter smiled and offered him his phone.

After a moment, he took it and typed out a single word.

 **Kek.**

"He can't hear us," Ryou told Marik as he read the note. "I'm not sure why he's back, but whatever happened, he can't hear and I don't think he can talk."

"Good. Then he can't hear us leave." Marik tugged his coat closer to him.

Kek's eyes flickered up as he caught the movement, and landed on Marik. His teeth gritted and he grabbed Ryou's phone again.

Ryou watched as he typed.

 **Go away.**

"Marik please." He looked up at his partner. "It's freezing out. He'll die."

Marik looked at Kek again, and then down. "Fine," he mumbled. "But he's not staying."

Ryou took his phone back and typed out, **He won't hurt you – he's just nervous. Let us help you.**

It took Kek a while to process the message, but when he did, he looked up at Marik. The other reluctantly nodded, took Ryou's phone and added, **I promise not to do anything tonight if you do.**

When he read it, Kek mimicked his nod and Ryou smiled. He stood up and offered Kek his hand. After a moment, the other took it and allowed Ryou to help him up. He grimaced when he put weight on his left foot.

"He's bleeding," Marik noted. He still seemed present, which was a lot better than Ryou had expected when they recognised Kek. Marik still had a tendency to disassociate when things became too much for him.

"We'll sort it out back at the apartment." Ryou took off his coat and wrapped it around Kek's shoulders.

The apartment wasn't that far of a walk – maybe five minutes – which was a small mercy for Kek's feet.

Inside, he left bloody footprints on the wood. "I'll turn on the shower," Marik muttered, walking towards the bathroom. Anything to get away.

Ryou turned to Kek and typed out on his phone. **We're going to get you a shower, okay? Do you want some food?** Another nod.

Ryou beckoned for Kek to follow him and led him into the kitchen. There was some leftover kushari in the fridge that he put into the microwave for a few minutes. Kek stared at the device, eyes wide.

Once it beeped, Ryou took out the plate and set it in front of him with a spoon. He ignored the spoon and just began shovelling food into his mouth with his hands.

Ryou caught his arm and made a motion to slow down. Kek frowned, but picked up the spoon and began eating a little bit more slowly.

His chest ached, as though the pain of having it ripped open was only hitting it now, but the food seemed to quench it a little. All too soon, he was finished.

"Do you still want food?" Ryou asked. He frowned until the other made an eating motion, and then nodded.

Marik returned as Ryou was putting a plate of curry into the microwave. "Shower's ready."

"Right." Ryou fumbled for his phone. **Marik will help you shower while the food cooks.**

Marik didn't protest, and so neither did Kek as he led him towards the bathroom.

His better half didn't have a notes function on his phone, so he just pointed to the water, then a towel, and then a set of dry clothes on the toilet seat.

Kek nodded and stepped in. The heat hit him like it had in the Duat, such a stark contrast to the cold of the alley and the darkness that he nearly moaned.

He might have moaned, actually, and he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Would he? Probably. He didn't really care if he did moan anyway. Marik rushed in after him and pulled him out again, pointing to Kek's clothes. He looked down and shrugged.

It was what Marik had worn during Battle City. Marik pointed again. "Take it off."

Kek shook his head, and Marik rolled his eyes, pulling up his own shirt as though to take it off, though not quite completing the action. Kek's cheeks heated up, but when the other raised an eyebrow, he nodded and quickly undressed. This time, Marik didn't stop him climbing back into the shower.

* * *

Once he was pretty certain Kek wasn't going to fall, Marik slipped out to the kitchen. "He's like a child," he mumbled to Ryou. "I had to pull him out and remind him to take off his clothes."

Ryou looked up at him. "But he's in the shower?"

"Yeah, yeah." Marik sank into a chair. "His foot's still bleeding."

"The shower should clean out any dirt it picked up on the walk back," Ryou mumbled, staring at the reducing numbers and waiting to hit cancel before it beeped. "Then we can see how deep it is and treat it." He groaned. "I should have given him my shoes or something…"

"He'll be fine, and they wouldn't have fit him," Marik reminded him. "I'll bandage it or whatever when he comes out." He ran a hand through his hair.

Ryou nodded, cancelling the timer at one second and taking the curry out of the microwave. Steam billowed from the sauce. "Why did they send him back?"

Marik shook his head and stood up again, wandering closer to the window. "I don't know. Shouldn't Ammit have eaten his heart?"

Ryou chewed his lip. "Maybe he never had one?"

"Of course he did." Marik folded his arms and leaned against the counter. "He wouldn't be alive otherwise."

Ryou shrugged and set up a place at the table for Kek as he spoke. "All I know is they can't judge anyone without an _ib,_ a _ren,_ a _ba,_ a _ka,_ and a _sheut._ He had the _ba, ka,_ and _sheut_ from you, but he was never given a _ren_ and he didn't have a separate body for an _ib_." Marik stared at the floor. "They might have sent him back to earn them."

"Why would they take away his hearing?" He muttered.

"Maybe as a punishment for what he did?" Ryou sighed and poured a glass of water. "I'm not sure. But he's here now and we have to help him."

Marik's eyes snapped up, firm again. "He's not staying."

Ryou frowned. "It's pitch black out there and nearly midnight. We can't just throw him out."

"Ryou, he-"

"I know." Ryou took Marik's hands in his. "But he's Kek now. You need to give him a chance."

Marik looked away. "One night."

* * *

When Kek woke up the next morning, it was due to his stomach and bowels complaining. He thought he had dreamt the entire situation - dreams were all he had in the shadows. Then again, when did he sleep there?

He lay in bed until his bladder shrieked in protest, trying to anchor himself. Once he relieved himself, he padded out into the kitchen to find Marik making breakfast.

His better half looked back at him. "Are you vegetarian?" Kek frowned. Marik sighed and held up a packet of bacon, and then pointed to him. After a moment, Kek nodded and Marik picked up two slices with the tongs, adding them to the pan.

Kek hesitated before sitting at the table. Ryou wandered in a few minutes later. "Morning."

Marik smiled at him over his shoulder. "Morning. Breakfast's nearly ready."

"Thanks, love." Ryou returned the smile, and then sat across from Kek. The man looked up at him. Ryou was holding a small notebook and a pen, which he passed over to him.

Kek frowned, but opened it on the first page.

 **This notebook is for you; you can write down whatever you want to say.**

Kek looked up and then scribbled down a, **Thank you.**

Ryou smiled again and then motioned for Kek to pass him the book. Kek slid it back as Marik dropped a plate onto the table in front of him.

Pancakes lathered with maple syrup, bacon, eggs, and toast. Ryou had a similar plate, but with more pancakes than anything else combined.

"Thanks, Mar…" He mumbled, a little distracted as he wrote.

Marik nodded, and then sat down beside him, sipping a cup of coffee as he waited for his eggs to cool enough to eat.

Kek didn't bother waiting and began wolfing his food down immediately. The burn was pleasant – he had had enough cold in his life to ignore the slight pain that heat brought with it.

Finally, Ryou pushed the notebook backed to Kek. **Do you know how to use sign language? Any form of it?** He had drawn out a few examples, such as thank you, in what he titled as Irish Sign Language. Kek examined it before shaking his head. Ryou took the book back, scribbled something else, and showed it to him. **Do you want to learn?**

Kek glanced over at Marik, who just raised an eyebrow. After a moment, he nodded.

Ryou grinned and pulled out his phone, searching for apps, with both Marik and Kek watching, the latter leaning over the table to see the screen.

Finally, Ryou downloaded what seemed to be a reliable one and passed it to Kek. When the old alter gave him a lost look, he scribbled in the notebook, **You can learn some basic signs for the moment, and the alphabet. I know a bit from school, and we'll all learn some.**

"That sounds like a long-term project," Marik commented, "rather than a _one-night_ thing."

Ryou shot him an exasperated look. "He literally can't communicate through anything but writing. He won't be able to get by with just that."

"Ryou, I-"

"Where's he going to stay?" Ryou challenged. "In an apartment on his own? Where's he going to get rent money? Or food money? Where's he going to get a job – he's deaf, he has no birth certificate or social security number or _anything,_ and he has no references or formal education."

Marik rubbed his face and looked over at Kek. He was staring at a video of a person signing the alphabet, and mimicking the movements.

"There's no shadow games anymore," Ryou reminded him, taking his hand. "No items, or Zorc, or tombs. Just life."

Marik swallowed. "I know," he muttered. "It's just hard to remember sometimes."

"I know," Ryou sighed, "I know. But he deserves his shot at life just as much as we did." Marik toyed with the edge of the tablecloth, picking at a brown stain - probably from gravy or curry or meat. "Just get him through today," he whispered, "and we'll deal with each tomorrow as it comes. Okay?"

In lieu of verbally answering Ryou, Marik sighed and leaned over, taking Kek's notebook. His old alter's head shot up and watched as he wrote a small note. **Do you want to stay with us for a while?**

Kek stared at the writing. It was in Marik's handwriting, and he had definitely seen him write it. But it wasn't something he had ever thought the other would say. Ever.

He glanced at the phone again and looked up. ' _R-E-A-L-L-Y?_ '

Ryou watched his hand and then smiled and nodded, but Kek was still looking at Marik.

Marik sighed and added to the bottom of his note. **Look, I know there's going to be some unavoidable arguments and stuff, but you don't really have anywhere else to go, and we have an extra bed. If you want to stay, you can.**

After reading it a few times, Kek slowly nodded.

* * *

Emotions, he found, were complicated, and he didn't like them very much. Or at all.

His first bout of rage hit him when he, Ryou and Marik were out trying to find some clothes that fit him – two days after his rebirth.

It had only been small – a father yelling at his son. Not even yelling; snapping. The kid had been bugging him to go back and get a toy car for so long that even Ryou seemed fit to scream. He couldn't hear it, but he watched. The tugging and wide mouth, and the frown deepening and the eventual jerk of the head.

The snap made the kid stop and sit down, and Kek's fists clenched when he saw spittle fly from the man's mouth. Ryou placed his hand over Kek's and gave it a small squeeze. ' _It's okay,'_ he signed. ' _No one's hurt.'_

It wasn't okay. Kek's shoulders shook and his back burned, and he remembered the knife dragging him to life all over again.

Then Marik took his other hand, silently sipping his coffee. It seemed silent, anyway.

The next time, two days later, he was upset and angry, and he didn't know what to do with the onslaught of both emotions at once.

He caught sight of his back in the mirror, and smashed the glass with his fist. It shattered, piercing his skin and raining down on the floor around him like rain, spilling everywhere.

Nothing. Yet another thing the gods had stolen from him - not a single sound pierced the all-consuming silence. The tears broke as readily as the mirror and he sank to his knees, glass piercing his skin.

He didn't quite ignore it - it was grounding, and helped a little, so he didn't move to stand up or get away from the prickles of pain.

Marik had screamed and ran in to yell at him – even if Kek couldn't hear him, he would have been able to see his rage. Fists clenched and eyes sparking. He didn't think to tone it down to calm the other, but he didn't need to in the end.

He walked into the bathroom to find Kek sobbing among a mess of glass shards, hammering at the wall, his back scarless.

"They took it! They took it!" He roared, oblivious to how loud he was being, or even that he was speaking. Ryou saw as well.

But Marik was the one to pull Kek into his arms and stroke his hair, shushing him though it had no use.

Kek cried into his shirt for over an hour, occasional anger piling back up and leading to him cursing the gods for everything they stood for.

Marik just held him closer when this happened and rubbed his arm or back or hair or face, or anything Kek would let him touch.

To some degree, this angered Marik too. Kek had earned those scars, and if he could, Marik would have passed them on in an instant. The gods had no right to take them away.

But they were gone, and Kek was crying on the bathroom floor, sporting what would probably be his first set of scars on his knuckles.

Marik smoothed his hair out and kissed the top of his head. "You're okay," he whispered, but it did no good.

The kiss only sent Kek into another bout of tears, shoulders tenser this time.

When Kek calmed down enough, Ryou came in and cleaned up his hand

"Kek," Ryou mumbled, cradling his hand. "Oh, Kek…"

Kek hiccupped. ' _I'm sorry. I'm sorry._ '

"Don't be." Ryou shook his head. He gently brought Kek's hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle, and the skin between them. "You poor sweetheart… You don't deserve any of this…" He kissed them again, then Kek's palm, and his pulse as he bandaged the knuckles.

Kek watched him, occasionally sniffing. Ryou looked up, so close his breath warmed Kek's lips, but the latter edged backwards.

Ryou released his hand slowly. ' _Come on. Let's go watch something._ '

Kek swallowed and pulled away from Marik as he stood up. ' _Okay._ '

They sat and watched a mindless comedy with subtitles curled up on the couch to try and lift their spirits, but none of them particularly bothered to heed what was happening.

The next hit him a month after Kek discovered his lack of scars, when Ryou and Marik were putting up Christmas decorations. Marik didn't celebrate it as a religious holiday, and while Ryou used to, he didn't anymore, but he still loved the traditions of putting up the tree and other decorations, and opening presents on the twenty fifth.

It also gave Marik an excuse to avoid his birthday.

Marik and Ryou met under the mistletoe carrying out popcorn and drinks, and kissed. It made Kek cry again.

Of course, he knew something was going on between them. They were in their twenties and living together, they shared a bed, they held hands, and they often opened each other's mail from what he could tell, but it hadn't been confirmed until just then.

' _What's wrong?_ ' He saw Ryou sign as they ran over. He must have made some sort of noise.

Kek shook his head, shaking too much for signing to be an option anymore. So they just held him again until he calmed down.

' _I'm sorry,_ ' he kept signing, hand circling his chest continuously, over and over again. Ryou shook his head and held him closer. He wasn't able to explain why he was even upset. Just that his chest ached.

When he calmed down, Ryou and Marik made their way back to the kitchen to heat up more tea.

"It's because we kissed," Ryou whispered. "Isn't it?" Marik didn't respond, and Ryou ran a hand through his hair. "At least we know he probably feels the same way as we do."

"He's too damn polite for his own good," Marik hissed, gripping the edge of the counter.

"Just kiss him," Ryou urged, "or I'll do it. He won't do it himself. He's too nervous."

Marik shook his head. "How?"

Ryou sighed and walked towards the living room. It happened completely by accident – Kek had been on his way in to apologise again and help with the drinks and they both just ended up at the door at the same time. Under the mistletoe.

Ryou gently tapped Kek's arm and pointed up. His eyes widened, and he looked down at the white-haired man, shoulders beginning to tense up.

His gaze flickered to Marik, who just watched intently as Ryou reached up and pulled Kek into a kiss.

After a moment of tense unresponsiveness, Kek's hands found Ryou's shoulders and he returned the kiss, earning a small squeak that he wouldn't hear.

Their kiss stayed relatively soft, small kisses making up for a single heavy one. Then Ryou pulled away, face flushed, and suddenly Marik was walking up to take his place.

While Ryou was a gentle flurry, Marik's kisses were rough and pulled at Kek's lips until they were both moaning.

When he pulled away, it was because Kek was crying again, but when Marik brushed away the tears, Kek shook his head. _'I'm fine, just happy.'_

Marik smiled and kissed him again while Ryou peppered his gentle kisses up Kek's neck, and he gave himself in to them.

The kisses turned to nips, and they stumbled towards Marik and Ryou's bedroom, discarding various items of clothing along the way.

Ryou caught Kek and pulled him down onto the bed, but hesitated when he saw his eyes land on the two, fading scars around his nipples.

' _Do they hurt?_ '

Ryou shook his head. "Not anymore," he assured him, signing at the same time. Kek hummed, low and off-key, and kissed his way around them. Marik grabbed the lube as Kek kneaded Ryou's chest, tongue darting out to lick his nipples.

Ryou groaned, arching slightly. Marik tapped Kek on the shoulder and showed him the bottle to make sure he was up for it, but the latter just gave an impatient grunt and went back to teasing Ryou's chest.

He grabbed Kek's shoulders as he began kissing down, and Marik began prepping him.

Ryou had left his boxers on – the only one with any clothing left. Kek threw them away like the annoyance they were and looked up to see Ryou watching him with a flushed face.

' _You're handsome,_ ' he signed, ' _and gorgeous and beautiful._ '

Ryou's face darkened. ' _Why are you talking about yourself?_ '

Kek's laughter startled them both, but it soon melted into a groan as Marik added a second finger and dragged them along Kek's prostate.

As Kek slid one finger into Ryou, Marik slid a third into him, scissoring them to spread Kek a little more.

' _Go!_ ' Kek signed over his shoulder.

Marik hesitated, but saw how he moaned as Ryou tugged at his hair and began to coat himself.

Kek's finger shuddered to a halt inside Ryou as Marik entered him, and though the smaller boy whined in protest, Kek couldn't do anything but grit his teeth and try to relax as the pressure built up.

Marik kissed the top of his back, where his wings had been, and stilled for a few moments to allow him time to adjust. When Kek gave a few experimental rolls of his hips, Marik matched his pace, earning a low groan.

 _'Go_ ,' Kek repeated as he eased another finger into Ryou.

Marik's thrust started off slow, but Kek was hot and tight around him and all too soon he was plunging into him. Kek began circling his thumb over Ryou's clit and hooking his fingers up, earning a few moans of his name, and when he began biting his chest, Ryou's nails dug into his back.

"Fuck, Kek!" Marik groaned, gripping Kek's hips. He kissed along the nape of his neck and shoulders as he sped up, release already nearing.

Thankfully, Kek didn't seem to be faring much better, but if he was with anyone else, it would be embarrassing to be barely winning a race against a flushed and moaning virgin.

He switched angles and Kek threw back his head with a sharp cry of pleasure, hitching his hips back. "Fuck! More!"

Marik grinned and thrust harder, earning more curses. He used to be worried when Kek talked – it meant he was losing control over his actions.

In this setting, he loved seeing him getting worked up enough to yell their names to the ceilings.

Their neighbour hammered on the wall and Ryou slammed his hand on the radio, blasting whatever station came on for slight cover, but Kek's cries only got louder.

Marik covered his hand in lube and reached around to grab Kek's cock. He gave up on pleasuring Ryou at the same time, head resting on his chest as he bucked forward into Marik's hand.

"F-fffuck," he slurred. "Fuck, Marik, yes! Fuck! Fuck! Marik! Gods, yes! Fuck!"

He came only a few moments before Marik with a low, long groan, riding out the last of his orgasm on the end of Marik's erection.

When he lifted his head from Ryou's chest, he was greeted by the sight of the other rubbing himself and biting his lip, eyes squeezed shut.

Kek caught his hand and pulled it away, earning a small glare, which withered the second he leaned down and ran his tongue along Ryou's entrance.

"Ah! Holy fuck!" Ryou grabbed Kek's shoulders again, fingers digging into his flesh. "Kek!"

Marik hummed and crawled closer, pressing his lips to Ryou's.

His hand slid down his partner's chest to his clit and began circling it, even as Kek ate him out. "Did you enjoy watching us, habibi?" He murmured against Ryou's lips.

Ryou only groaned, nails burrowing deeper as he bucked his hips up. "Fuck! Please, Mar, don't tease me- not-not tonight!"

Marik chuckled but sped up and kissed him again. "Who said anything about teasing?"

Ryou's hips bucked up again and he screamed their names to the ceiling as he came, as though hailing them as gods.

Kek looked up at him with a sheepish smile as Ryou went limp on the bed. _'Good?'_

 _'Fucking perfect.'_ Ryou gave him a sleepy grin and pulled him up to them.

Kek tensed up a little and looked up at them. _'Can I sleep in here?'_ He didn't want to be alone in his own room. Not again.

Marik smiled and kissed his forehead. _'Of course, h-a-y-a-t-a-y.'_

* * *

As Christmas neared, Kek caught Marik staring at his back. _'What?'_

 _'You have a scar.'_ Marik leaned over and traced it. _'Is that from us?'_ Kek's grin said it all as he pulled his shirt on. _'R-y-o-u will feel bad when he sees.'_

Kek chewed his lip, but the sentence was complicated to form, and he didn't know enough signs yet. He made his way into the living room to grab his notebook and write it out.

He sat on the couch to use his lap as a table, Marik sliding down beside him. **I like it. It shows that I've lived. The gods took my other ones, and now I have a new one with good memories attached to it.**

Marik scanned it and nodded, motioning for the book. **I have an idea. You don't like your back bare, right?**

Kek nodded. He felt a little guilty about it, knowing how badly Marik wished the gods would have taken away his scars, but it was true.

The next part took Marik a while to write. **I've been doing some researching and I've found a reputable tattoo parlor. They're used to doing sleeves and full-body tattoos. If you want, we can research some designs and find some things you like, and we could get you a tattoo on your back. That way it wouldn't be bare anymore.**

Kek stared at him, and he nearly started crying, like when Marik and Ryou had first kissed him. Instead, he burrowed into Marik's chest and nodded.

Ryou came into the room a few moments later with three mugs of hot chocolate, full of marshmallows with cream on top. "Everything okay?"

Marik nodded. "I suggested the tattoo idea to him."

"And?" Ryou set them down.

His partner smiled. "I think he likes it."

Ryou matched his smile and sat on the couch beside Kek, wrapping an arm around him. It didn't startle him as much – he had grown used to using his other senses to tell what was going on around him.

He looked up and gave Ryou a small smile, but something outside caught his eye. _'What's that?'_

Ryou turned, and his eyes lit up. "Snow!"

"What?" Marik looked up as well. "Shit, it hasn't snowed here in _years_."

"Please stick, please stick, please stick!" Ryou crossed his fingers and chanted until Kek tapped his arm, still looking for an explanation. _'Snow. S-n-o-w. You haven't seen it before?'_

Kek shook his head, eyes locking on the window again. _'Can we go out in it?'_

"Not yet." Marik shook his head, signing as he spoke. "It's dark out."

 _'In the morning, if it stays,'_ Ryou assured him.

It did, and as promised, the three ran up to the roof of the building in their warmest ( _and_ winter-aesthetic appropriate) clothes, cased in by a wire fence. Kek collapsed into a pile of the snow, eight inches deep.

"I can't believe this!" Ryou giggled, spinning around. It was still snowing, but much more lightly. The schools and most workplaces in the area had closed for three days. Christmas would be over by the time they opened again.

Marik scooped up a ball of snow and threw it into the air, expecting it to spray into a million flakes. It didn't. Instead, it fell on Kek's head, causing the other to jerk up and kick snow at Marik.

 _'Sorry! Accident!'_ Marik signed through his laughter, but Kek grabbed a handful of the cold, white dust and chased him across the roof, shoving it down the front of his shirt once he caught him.

Ryou laughed at the indignant roar. _'I guess you don't need to be in bed to make Marik scream.'_

"Shut up, Ryou!" Marik laughed. "Last I recall, you were the one screaming."

Ryou just grinned and dropped into the snow, spreading his arms and legs to make a snow angel. When he looked up again, his partners were halfway through building a snowman.

Kek selflessly gave up his scarf and hat for the sake of appearance when Marik refused, though the latter scoured the roof for branches and rocks he could use for arms, eyes, and a mouth.

Once they were done, Ryou beckoned them over. _'Picture for i-n-s-t-a-g-r-a-m.'_

Kek groaned, while Marik fluffed and smoothed his hair, and they both allowed Ryou to position them on either side of him in the snow.

After about a dozen selfies, Ryou settled for the one with Kek's hand out of sight, sprinkling snow into their hair, him laughing and Marik smiling.

 _'Beautiful,'_ Kek decided as he posted it, pulling the two of them to his chest. The cold creeped into their fingers, but none of them felt all that pressed to move for a while.

The sun glinting over shimmering buildings coated with frosting snow with tiny people in the streets looked magical, the sky a red and vibrant backdrop for more flakes.

Ryou stretched his tongue out and caught a few, and Marik stole them from his mouth with a kiss. He pouted and repeated the action only for Kek to mimic Marik's actions.

"Stop! It's good luck!" He laughed, elbowing them.

Kek kissed the top of his head this time, and they both let Ryou steal the next few flakes for himself.

 _'I love you.'_ The sign was so small that they nearly missed the movement.

Ryou's eyes lit up and he burrowed into Kek's chest. _'I love you.'_ He flashed it to them both.

Marik smiled and kissed Kek. "I love you too." He wasn't very good at lip reading yet, but he managed to catch that, at the very least.

A tear crept down his cheek and Marik frowned, going to wipe it away, but Kek shook his head. _'I'm just happy,'_ he explained. _'You're both so perfect. You're both beautiful. I love you.'_

Ryou gasped, his head shooting off Kek's chest and he looked up at him.

Marik looked concerned. "Are you okay, habibi?"

Ryou swallowed. "Come here." He beckoned Marik closer and placed his partner's head on Kek's chest. His eyes widened. "You hear it too?" Marik nodded.

Kek frowned. _'What is it?'_

Ryou took Kek's hand, freeing it from its glove despite a small protest. He unzipped his coat and placed Kek's hand over his own chest.

 _'Do you feel it?'_ Marik asked.

Kek's frown only deepened, but after a moment, it cleared and another tear crept down his face. He was so used to the sensation from Marik and Ryou that he had almost forgotten.

"You can," Ryou breathed, squeezing his hand. _'K-e-k.'_

Kek looked up at them, almost scared. _'What does this mean?'_

Marik smiled. _'You did it. You earned your heart.'_

* * *

 **I probably could have made it more Christmas-y but I'm honestly really happy with this! Please review. See you next time!**


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